Monster Within
by EricaX
Summary: When the Kaiser accidenlty lets it slip that he doesn't care if he was a monster, an evil darkness transforms him into one. Kenyako
1. I Dont Care!

This story takes place during , The Crest of Kindness' Episode of 02

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon.

The battle between Kimeramon and Magnamon raged as the Digidestined caught up with the Digimon Kaiser. They were all in his base, hoping to defeat him once and for all.

Wormmon watched helplessly as his master scowled at the digidestined. The small one, Cody spoke next. He took a step forward and said,

"Yeah! Do you think you're doctor Frankenstein or something? Creating creatures just for your own cruel pleasure! Kimeramon is not the monster, Ken, YOU are!"  
The kaiser known as Ken growled at this. "I don't care!" he screamed. Wormmon was shocked at this. His Ken-Chan didn't care if he was a monster or not.

In the midst of the battle between the digimon above them, Kimeramon stopped and looked to Ken, confusing everyone.

"So..." the creature hissed. "You don't care if your a monster like me..."

Ken gulped. He didn't care if the digidestined saw him scared, he wanted to know what was going on. This wasn't Kimeramon talking...It was a darkness much beyond Kimeramon, more darker than Ken had ever known.

No one spoke as Kimeramon cackled. Without warning, a large cloud of black energy went flying towards Ken. It swept around the Emperor's waist and began to choke him with darkness.

"Ken!" cried Wormmon in panic.

The digidestined took a few steps back.

The darkness cloud continued to swirl around Ken, who struggled, hoping to get out of its grip. Tears came to Ken's eyes. he couldn't help. He was frightened beyond belief. What was going to happen to him? He screamed when the darkness became even stronger.

That was when the darkness began ripping into his skin. Ken finally hunched over, grapping his chest in pain, the darkness still around him.

Meanwhile, the digidestined were debating whether or not to help him.

"What should we do?" asked TK.

"Well we can't just leave him here. He's in pain" remarked Kari.

"But look at him! We can't even get close!" retorted Cody.

"I say we stay put and help however we can! What about you Yolei? Yolei?" said Davis, turning to Yolei.

Yolei was silent, her eyes almost covered with tears. "He's...changing..." she choked, watching ken.

Everyone turned their gazes to Ken, Wormmon at his side.

The others watched at Ken's hunched over form began to grow. Ken opened his eyes and looked at his hands, watching as claws emerged from underneath his black gloves. Ripping off his gloves, Ken winced when he saw his claws instead of hands.

Ken's hair then started growing longer, falling out of it's spiked look.   
His body was growing taller and stronger. A sudden tingly feeling made Ken realize that he now had a long thin tail. Standing, Ken found that his emperor garb vanished, replaced with billowing black robes. He looked at the digidestined and saw that they now only came to his mid-chest. But suddenly being more stronger and taller had no effect on Ken. He didn't care. For when he looked down at his body he saw just how mismatched he looked. Another tingly feeling on his ears made Ken feel them. They were now pointy like an elves.

His hair turned black and now came down to his mid-back.

"Ken...?" spoke Wormmon softly at ken's feet, which were now bare and cold from the floor. His toe nails were also long and sharp.

"Well ken" spoke Cody. "It looks like you're finally the monster you always acted like."

Black pearly tears spilled out from Ken's eyes. Kimeramon laughed at the site of him.

"Now you know what's it like...Tell me, Ken, what does it feel like to be a monster?" chuckled the evil of Kimeramon.

Ken didn't answer. Magnamon did however, by attacking him while he was unprepared. Battle ensued once more.

Wormmon was extremely surprised when Ken lifted him up and held him in his arms tightly, almost hugging him.

"Oh Ken...I'm here...Everything's going to be okay" whispered the worm.

Pulling the black robes closer around his new body, ken began to run back up the spiraling stairs, Wormmon still in his arms.

"ken wait!" cried the digidestined, trying to follow them.

"Davis! You and the others had best get out of here! This place is going to come down any minute!" yelled Magnamon in a demanding voice.

"You got it!" replied Davis. The base gave a violent shake.

"He's right, this place isn't going to last much longer!" commented TK.

They began to run back down the staircase, the opposite direction in which Ken went. Everyone for Yolei that is. "But wait! We can't just leave Ken in here!"

Everyone faced Yolei, the base shaking more violently.

"Take that!" cried Magnamon, giving all his strength and defeating Kimeramon at last.

Kimeramon laughed before he died.

Magnamon turned to the kids and headed towards them. "Let's go! Now! before it's too late!"

Yolei didn't budge from her spot. "Please Yolei" begged Hawkmon at her heels. "Let us just go. Ken will be alright."

"No! I'm not leaving him!" With that she ran back up the stairs in hopes to catch up with Ken. Hawkmon followed her, hoping to bring her back to her senses.

"Yolei!" cried Kari.

"We've gotta get outta here! They'll be fine! Hawkmon is with her!" cried TK.

Without another thought, the others were grabbed by Magnamon, who flew them out of the base and into safety.

Ken ran. That was all he could do. Run. Run away from it all. Run away from the pain that was too much to bear.

"ken...Where are we going...This place is going to explode...we have to leave this place ken" whimpered Wormmon, still in Ken's arms.

"No..." replied Ken. Ken grabbed his throat in surprise. Even his voice was different. It was deeper. Black tear stains stained his cheeks as he ran into his control room. Wormmon leaped to the floor when he saw that Ken was going to drop him anyways.

Ken climbed into his throne chair, which was now a little too small for him. He didn't look right when he sat in it, as though he didn't belong in it.

'I don't belong anywhere' moaned Ken in his head.

Ken put his head in his hands and moaned, crying. The ignored the creaks and bangs the base was making. The room gave a violent shake. Ken paid no mind to it.

"ken...please...let's get out of here..." begged Wormmon, hanging onto ken's leg. Ken made a movement that looked like he was going to strike the worm upside the head, but he didn't.

"Sorry...I meant Master..." whispered Wormmon after a moment of silence between the two. Ken shook his head.

"Eek!" came a cry from in the hallway. Ken looked over at the door.

Yolei tripped as she walked up the remaining stairs. "Ouch! Ken! Ken are you in here?" she called into the darkened room.

"What are you doing here Inoue?" demanded ken. Wormmon couldn't help but smile. Maybe Yolei would be able to knock some sense into his Ken-Chan.

"Ken! I-I'm here to save you! I-I'm here to get you out of here! Now come on! This place is going to explode any minute!" she answered. Ken sighed.

"Haven't you seen me Inoue? I'm a freak!" Ken shot back.

"That's what this is about? Come on Ken! We can figure all this out someplace else!" Yolei then ran up to Ken and grabbed him by the arm. "WE haven't got time for this. Have your pity party someplace else!"

Ken was about to stand up when a large whoosh of dark energy whipped through the doors. The dark energy filled the room. Evil spirits flew around the two of them.

"So..."spoke an icy voice. "You want to help the boy do you...?"

Yolei didn't answer, she was too afraid. Ken on the other hand clutched his head.

"Leave me alone!" he cried to an unknown person or thing.

"If you want to help the boy so badly...then why don't we...gave you the same fate as him!" said the icy voice.

Ken's eyes dilated. He looked up at the darkness. "No! Don't curse her like you did me!"

"W-What do you mean?" Yolei asked, quivering with fear.

The darkness didn't reply, instead, only began to surround Yolei the same way it did Ken earlier.

"Stop it!" cried Ken. "Don't do this! I'm the one you want! Not her!" The darkness didn't listen, it only kept surrounding Yolei.

Hawkmon tried to get near but was pushed aside by the darkness, making him hit the wall. Hawkmon moaned in pain.

"Hawkmon!" cried Yolei in despair.

The same process that happened to Ken happened to Yolei, yet, right when she was about to start changing and growing, a green light stood in the darkness' way. Yolei opened her eyes to see her digivice protecting her. The darkness fled, leaving the two of them alone.

Yolei stood, with the startled help of Ken. Now that the darkness was gone, Ken could get near her. The base was still falling to pieces but they ignored it.

Yolei stood and looked at herself. The darkness had been unable to do anything severe to her. The only thing different was that her hair was black instead of lavender.

"You're awfully stupid Inoue, to have risked your life for me..." spoke ken softly.

Yolei looked at him. She then looked up, realizing for the first time just how much taller he was.

"Hey! You had better be grateful! I just risked my life for you!" she retorted.

"I never said I wasn't grateful now did I?" asked Ken mischievously. Yolei couldn't help but give a small smile.

"I suggest that now would be a wonderful time to get out of here" piped up Hawkmon.

Wormmon nodded. "Yes, you two can sort this out when we're in a safer place."

Yolei looked to ken, who still didn't look at all happy at the thought of leaving.

"Come on ken. We won't take you anywhere that's too public, how's that?" offered Yolei. After much debate within his head, ken reluctantly nodded, yes.

Without another moments' hesitance, the four of them ran out of the room, but not before ken wrapped himself tighter in his black robes and pulled up the hood he just realized he had on it.

"Do you think they are okay?" asked Kari, fidgeting in her spot between Davis and TK.

"It's hard to say Kari, it really is..." replied TK.

"Gee, you're a lotta help" scowled Davis when he saw Kari's pained expression.

TK scowled back at Davis. "Well what do you expect me to tell her. Oh, yeah, they're fine. I'm sure they're in their eating ice cream?" TK mocked.

Davis sneered and looked like he was going to retort when Cody broke in in from of them. "Stop it you two!" he yelled, his arms stretched out and keeping the one from the other. "This is no time to argue!"

"Look! It's them!" cried Kari suddenly. The boys stopped what they were doing to take a look.

Ken and Yolei were slowly making their way towards them. Ken had his hood up, making his black robes cover him completely. Yolei seemed to have him by the hand that was hidden underneath the robes.

"Yolei!" everyone cried. They ran towards each other, making Yolei lose her grip on Ken's hands. Kari and Yolei hugged.

Kari blinked as she was hugging her friend. She grabbed a lock of her friend's hair and looked at it, shocked. She let go of her friend. "Yolie...Your hair is black.

Yolei nodded. "I know...The darkness tried to do the same thing to me as it did to Ken" She took out her digivice. "But my digivice saved me."

Everyone then looked to Ken, who had his head down low.

"Hey ken, are you okay?" asked Davis as they watched ken pick up Wormmon and hold him close.

"Of course I'm not okay Motomiya. I was just transformed into a monster, do you think I'm okay?" sneered ken.

Cody scowled. "he was just asking you a question ken" he hissed.

ken flicked his new tail from side to side instead of replying to that.

"Wow man, talk about havin' a growth spurt huh?" joked Davis about ken's height. ken didn't reply, just petted Wormmon on the head without realizing it.

Ken just closed his eyes and stood there, creeping the digidestined out after a while. His face was neutral.

"ken? Are you okay?' asked Yolei. Ken shook his head no.

"I'm a monster Inoue...What part of that don't you understand" he hissed.

"Relax Ken, I'm sure there is some way we can help you" spoke Kari.

Ken didn't answer her. He just turned around and ran away in the opposite direction of his base.

"Ken! Wait!" cried Yolei. She was about to chase after him when Cody and TK caught hold of her sleeve.

"let him go Yolei" said TK.

"yeah, just look at what happened to you because of him. Your hair is now black!" inquired Cody. Yolei stopped struggled against the two of them. They were right. ken didn't want her help. She was just going to have to wait and see what happened and what Ken was going to do.

Ken was running once again. Once again he was running away from the didgidestined. That's all he did nowadays. "Ken...?" whimpered Wormmon.

"Shut up! Just shut up!" snarled Ken. Wormmon shivered as he continued to run by Ken's side.

Ken stopped dead in tracks. Something was not right. Something was different about this place. Ken looked around himself and saw that he was in a deserted part of the digital world. It looked like a waste land. The perfect place for him to live. No one to order him around...No one to look at him and make fun of the way he looked. No one to look at the hideous monster.

Ken had seen their faces. They hid their fear well, but Ken knew they had been afraid of him. Who wouldn't be? he was a human with a tail, claws and-

Ken felt his teeth to make sure. Yep, fangs. He had no idea what his face looked like because he didn't have a mirror or anything to look at himself with.

He looked down at Wormmon, who was staring at the ground in thought.

"Wormmon!" he said in a commanding voice. Wormmon flinched and looked up.

"Yes master?" he replied.

"W-What does my face look like? Does it look any different from before?" asked Ken. Wormmon was taken aback by this question, but answered it the best he could.

"Yes, it's slightly different" he began. Ken unwillingly flinched. Your eyes are black instead of blue, and your lips are a grayish color. Your deathly pale and...well, that's about it."

Ken nodded. Just what he needed. More things wrong with him.

Ken sat down on the ground, pulling his knees up to his chest. "What am I going to do Wormmon?" asked Ken. Wormmon shook his head, not knowing how to answer.

Ken played with the gray sand that covered the dreary wasteland childishly.

"I can't go back home...That's obvious enough...And I've failed. Failed at being the Digimon Emperor." he spoke.

Wormmon cocked his head to one side, looking up at Ken. "So does this mean I no longer have to call you master?" he asked stupidly. Ken glared at him.

"No! You will always call me master. Nothing has changed that!" sneered Ken, whacking the worm on the head.

Wormmon winced. "I-It's just that you had been so kind to me back there I was just wondering-"

"Wormmon, I was in a time of need. I was not thinking clearly" cut in Ken.

"And now you are?" said Wormmon with a hint of anger in his voice.

Ken shook his head. "No, I never have thought straight before."

"You did when you were small" pointed out the worm.

"Shut up! That was years ago! That Ken is dead! Gone! Never to return!" yelled ken.

Wormmon shook his head. "Not to me, you'll always be Ken Ichijouji to me..."

SLAP!

"Just shut up already! I'm not him anymore alright! Now...I'm a monster!" With that Ken buried his in his arms and knees, hiding from the world and hiding his black tears. Sobs wracked his body as the two sat there in the gray wasteland. Everything was gray. The only sign of life was the wind. That was the only thing moving in this dead place.

Ken looked up after minutes full of tears. He rested his chin on his arms which rested on his knees. Closing his eyes, Ken tried to think of something he could do now that he was this monster.

His tail thumped behind him as though it had a mind of its own. Ken could hardly remember he had one, it seemed so natural to him now that he had one. He flicked it back and forth on different directions without realizing it anymore.

A large explosion in the distance allowed them to know that his base finally fell to pieces. Base...Base...That was it...He needed a place to stay...Now that his base was gone...he had nowhere to go...No place to stay...No one would want a monster around.

he blinked several times as he thought this over in his head. He then stood, losing his balance a bit.

"Come on Wormmon...We're going to build ourselves a home" he hissed, starting to walk.

"How?" the worm asked. Ken stopped. He didn't know how...

A great gust of wind caught them by surprise, making Ken cover his face with his arms, the sand was so great.

When the wind calmed down Ken opened his eyes again and gasped. A woman, as tall as him was standing several feet away from them. She wore a red outfit, and a red hat and purple gloves. Her eyes were covered by purple sunglasses . She also had long white hair.

"What do you want? Who are you?" demanded Ken.

"I am the one who made you how you are" replied the woman. Ken scowled.

"Why did you do this to me then?" he demanded.

"I did it because you said yourself you didn't care if you were a monster or not" was the simple answer he received. Ken's eyes went wide.

"What?"

Flashback

"Kimeramon isn't the monster Ken! You are!" yelled Cody.

"I don't care!" cried Ken

End Flashback

Ken covered his mouth with his hands. "I really said that?" he whispered.

The woman nodded gleefully. "Yes ken. So really all I did was check to see if what you said was really true. And by the looks of it, you really didn't know what you were talking about when you had said it, now did you?"

Ken slowly shook his head. " I had no idea I was going to turned into one!" he snapped.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you to be careful what you say, it may just happen" she hissed.

"You still haven't answered my question though. Who are you?"

"Who? Little old me? Well, I am Arukenimon" she replied. "And I am here to tell you that you had better get used to being a monster because your going to be one for the rest of your life!"

Ken growled. "See, you even act like a monster. Growling like that and all" she teased.

Ken could feel the angry darkness begin to surround him and Arukenimon could see it too. "Now now. No need to be so uptight. I am here to help you..."

"How are you going to help me?" Ken asked through bared teeth.

Arukenimon smiled. "By giving you a place to live for the rest of your life."

Yolei sniffed as she walked into her room later that night. Her parents had not been at all too happy to see that her hair was black, but when she had gone to go and dye it back, the hairdresser said hat the dye wouldn't work and that her hair just remained black. Odd.

She laid down on her bed, Poromon asleep beside her. "I wonder what Ken is doing right now..."

"Why are you still thinking about him?" asked the little pink bird. Yolei turned her gaze over to her partner. She grumbled in annoyance form the question.

"Because I have a heart, unlike all of you! Sure he's done some nasty things in the past, but now he's in trouble and he needs our help. he's all alone" Yolei answered.

"Yes Yolei, but he has Wormmon with him" Poromon pointed out.

"I hate to break it to you Poromon, but that cute little bug is about as strong as a marshmallow" sighed Yolei. Poromon shook his head.


	2. Monster Within

Yolei sniffed as she walked into her room later that night. Her parents had not been at all too happy to see that her hair was black, but when she had gone to go and dye it back, the hairdresser said hat the dye wouldn't work and that her hair just remained black. Odd.

She laid down on her bed, Poromon asleep beside her. "I wonder what Ken is doing right now..."

"Why are you still thinking about him?" asked the little pink bird. Yolei turned her gaze over to her partner. She grumbled in annoyance form the question.

"Because I have a heart, unlike all of you! Sure he's done some nasty things in the past, but now he's in trouble and he needs our help. He's all alone" Yolei answered.

"Yes Yolei, but he has Wormmon with him" Poromon pointed out.

"I hate to break it to you Poromon, but that cute little bug is about as strong as a marshmallow" sighed Yolei. Poromon shook his head. She sighed as she laid her head on her pillow. "I just hope he's okay..."

Ken reluctantly followed Arukenimon to his 'supposed' new home. They crossed the gray wasteland and came upon the North side of the Digital World. It was still wasteland, it was just more dark and vacant. Wormmon shivered at Ken's feet. This was their new home? He didn't like it.

Ken looked around him to see just where his new home was. All he could see was gray. About ten minutes more of silent walking, Ken began to see the outline of a large building. He soon realized that it was a castle. Arukenimon stopped and smiled wickedly at him.

"You little boy emperor. What do you think of your new home?" she asked teasingly. Ken silently gulped in fear. This wouldn't have been his first choice, but beggars can't be choosers.

"It's...quaint..." he hissed with sarcasm. Arukenimon gritted her teeth.

"Well you had better get used to it Little Monster, for this is your new home. Whether you like it or not, you no longer have a place in the digital world nor the Real world, so unless you wish to live a humiliating life, I suggest you stay here and live here" she explained through bared teeth.

Ken raised his head determinedly. There was no way he was going to be a coward in this. He got himself in this mess, so he was going to take it like a true emperor would. he refused to be baby and cry out his misery. he sighed internally, knowing that was going to be impossible for him to do. Though he still refused to cry in front of Arukenimon. He hated showing his weakness to others.

Ken stepped forward and made his way to the entrance of his new home.

"Have a good time Little Monster!" Arukenimon mocked at him. Ken ignored her, and with Wormmon at his feet, he walked into the large black castle, storm clouds filled the sky surrounding the castle grounds.

Closing the large black doors behind him, Ken was engulfed by the darkness of the castle.

"What are you doing Yolei?" asked Poromon the next morning she he was his partner fiddle around in her room, making a mess of things. "I'm looking for my digivice!" she squeaked in anger and impatience.

Poromon sighed, flapping his tiny pink wings. "Why do you want that? Today's Sunday, we are not going to the digital world today."

Yolei threw a shirt at him unknowingly as she searched her room. The little bird flapped his way from underneath it. "I'm going to look for Ken!"

"You're still on about that? Why don't you just let it go Yolei. For all we know he may have already gone back home!" argued the bird.

"In the condition he's in? I doubt that!" Yolei shot back at him.

She brushed back some of her black hair from her face and smiled as she found her prize. her red digivice was underneath a pile of jeans she had had on the floor next to her dresser. "Here it is!" she cried in delight. She raised it high in the air, quite proud of herself that she had found it.

She walked over to the computer. Poromon squeaked in surprise and waddled his way over to her. "Digiport Open!" Yolei cried and the computer screen flashed a blue light and they were gone.

Ken had broken his promise to himself in being brave and not crying. Not long after Ken had walked into the castle, he made his way up the stairway and up to the highest floor, where he found a bedroom with a balcony. Inside the room was a large king-sized fluffy bed, and considering that he hadn't slept in over two days, he fell onto the bed, exhausted.

Although sleep refused to claim him. he couldn't fall asleep not matter how hard he tried. So, in utter despair, he cried. His black tears soon stained the white pillows and sheets of the bed. Wormmon, weeping himself for his master, could do nothing but plop himself on a lonely side pillow and watch helplessly as his master cried his heart out.

This was their new life, and there was nothing they could do about it.

His robes fell off him as he slipped underneath the freezing covers. His new body feeling odd to him. Making himself comfortable, Ken was finally able to fall into an uneasy sleep.

"You want me to what?" asked the confused and bewildered Tentomon. The little mechanical bug looked at Yolei as though she had two heads.

Yolei looked Tentomon straight in the eye. "You heard me! I want you to help me find Ken!" snapped Yolei. She was not in a very happy mood at the moment, and clearly, neither was the weather is the digital world either. Dark storm clouds were currently taking over the whole area.

"Yolei, I don't think Tentomon will be able to help us" spoke Hawkmon wisely.

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" demanded Tentomon, feeling quite offended by his statement.

"I'm just saying that it will probably be impossible for even you to find him, replied the bird.

"So, you don't think I could find him do you? Well, we'll just see about that" Tentomon challenged.

Yolei smiled down at Hawkmon and winked at him, who winked back.

Groaning in exhaustion, ken flipped and turned under the covers of the bed. he just couldn't get comfortable. And he wasn't at all used to having a tail, making it all the more harder to find a good place to sleep. Thunder boomed in the darkness of the outside.

Tears continued to roll down ken's cheeks, staining his face.

He looked outside. "Curse the world and all it's inhabitants" hissed Ken suddenly, spooking out Wormmon, who sat on a pillow nest to him.

Anger began to boil Ken's blood as he lay there on the bed. "I hate everyone in this pathetic world" he moaned, twisting and turning. "They caused me to be like this!"

Wormmon shook his head. "No they didn't! The only ones to be blamed for all this is yourself and me!"

Ken snapped his head up to look up at the large green worm. "What? He is this your fault, besides the fact that you always annoyed me?"

"It's my fault because I didn't have the courage to stop you when things began to get out of hands, and it's your fault for saying you wouldn't care if you were a monster when you really would!"

Ken growled. "Shut up! I didn't mean what I said! Arukenimon did this to me!"

"She wouldn't have had you not gotten so power hungry!" retorted Wormmon.

Ken glared at him but said nothing. He knew deep down that the worm was right. He couldn't deny it any longer...This was all his fault!

"Come on Ken...Get some clothes on and we'll go out to find some help..." offered ken.

Ken sighed. "We're not going anywhere Wormmon! We're staying put and that's that!"


	3. Darkness Takes All

Wormmon watched hopelessly as ken slept. What was it going to take to get ken to realize that he had to do something. Otherwise they'd be here for the rest of their lives?

The little worm sighed as he settled himself into a more comfortable position. Ken shifted in his sleep and opened his eyes slowly.

"Morning master..."

"How long have I been asleep?" croaked Ken, rubbing his eyes. Wormmon didn't respond, he was too much in shock. He silently watched as Ken's pale peachy skin changed into a dull gray. It was as though the color was being sucked out from his skin.

Ken looked up at his partner and scowled, wondering why he hadn't answered. He was completely oblivious to what was going on.

"Well?" snapped Ken.

Wormmon flinched and looked at Ken. "U-uh...y-you're skin..." choked the worm.

Ken raised an eyebrow and looked down at his hands and arms. He too watched as they turned gray. Ken's heart leapt up into his throat as he sat up and looked over himself.

"W-What's going on?" squeaked Ken in panic. Wormmon shook his head, unable to answer that question.

The room suddenly filled with freezing air. Ken grabbed his black robes from the end of the bed and wrapped his body with them. Huddling into a protective ball, Ken began to cry once more. He was getting even worse...Turning into an even worse creature of darkness...

Yolei looked up into the darkening sky, rubbing at her arms. It was getting colder.

She turned to her two friends and asked, "Are we getting closer Tentomon?"

Tentomon, who was flying just a little ways ahead of her and Hawkmon, turned around and looked at her. "We should be. According to my calculations, he's in the North. here in the wasteland somewhere. He's not too far from here."

Yolei beamed with delight as Tentomon turned back around to look ahead of himself. The wind picked up and the gray sand stung at their eyes.

"Uh..." groaned Yolei.

"Oh my! Whatever is that in front of us?" asked Hawkmon.

"Ah! That's Darkness Tower! That is an old Digimon Castle that has long been deserted. Ancient digimon ruled here, but after a great war, it was abandoned. And it feels as though someone is here..."

Yolei looked at the mechanical bug at this. "What do you mean? Is it Ken?"

"It very easily could be. I wouldn't doubt it. I know there's a digimon in there for certain, along with something else." was the reply.

"It's Ken and Wormmon!" cried Yolei with joy.

The three of them continued to make their way towards the castle. When they reached it, they all looked straight up at the door and Yolei gave a whistle in shock.

"Wow..." she marveled.

"Well, what are we waiting for, we didn't come here just to stare, let's get going" huffed Tentomon. The three of them used all their strength to push open the enormous black doors and peeked inside.

Yolei didn't waste anytime. She had to find Ken. She walked inside.

"Yolei! Wait! Don't rush into thing Yolei!" warned Hawkmon. "You know nothing ever good comes out of rushing things."

Yolei ignored him and found a staircase. The wind howled and the castle shook.

That was when she heard it. A cry of despair. Yolei made a dash for the staircase and ran up them two at a time. Following the cries, Yolei soon found herself in a large master bedroom with a balcony.

"Yolei!" came a small cry from the bed in the corner of the room. Yolei looked over to see Wormmon sitting on the bed next to a pile of shivering covers.

"Wormmon! KEN!" she cried. She ran over to the bed and hugged the ball of covers she knew was Ken.

Ken scrambled to sit up, untangling himself from the sheets. "Get off me?" he cried in surprise. When he saw Yolei's hurt expression, he couldn't help but give a small blush on his gray cheeks.

Yolei frowned when she saw him, giving him a pitying look. Ken looked away. "I don't want your pity!"

"I'm not trying to give it to you...I'm trying to give you my friendship" whispered Yolei, taking ken's hand in hers.

Ken looked at her, shocked. "Why?"

"Because you are a great and wonderful person Ken."

"No I'm not" Ken denied, shaking his head.

"Yes you are!" Yolei spoke earnestly.

"How would you know? You hardly know me!" retorted Ken.

Yolei sighed. He did have a point. "Because I just know..."

Ken sighed. Without realizing it, he grabbed her hand. A warm, happy feeling took over him. It felt safe, it felt soothing. He blushed. He liked her. She liked him. What did this mean?

"Yolei! There you are!" called Tentomon from outside the doorway. Hawkmon bounced on the bed beside her as ken wrapped his black robes tighter around him. Yolei turned back to look at Ken and smiled. A smile soon crept onto his face as well. Ken began to feel tingly again, like the night before, but nothing happened. Yolei bravely moved closer to Ken, and Ken did the same thing. As a gust of air filled the room from the balcony window, blowing their black hair in all directions, they kissed.

It was a long and passionate kiss. They wrapped their arms around each other, enjoying the feeling of being so close to one another. They separated, Wormmon, Hawkmon, and Tentomon had tears in their eyes.

"You cannot have him!" boomed a loud and cruel voice. Yolei and Ken looked up at the ceiling as the voice bounced off the walls. "He is too important for us to be taken away by the likes of you!"

Ken unconsciously grabbed Yolei and hugged her tight. "Leave me alone" hissed Ken. Yolei was unsure as to who Ken was speaking to, but when she noticed that he was hugging her, he knew the answer.

"You'll have to go through me if you want anything to do about Ken!" vowed Wormmon, walking next to Yolei and ken. Tentomon and Hawkmon agreed.

Ken grabbed his head tightly the darkness began to swallow him up.

"Ken!" cried Yolei as she looked back at the bed. The darkness took her off guard, making her fall to the glass like floor with a loud unhappy thump.

'Join us Ken...We promise you a life without pain...' spoke the darkness inside Ken's mind. Ken pulled at his hair in hopes that the voice would go away, but to no avail.

"Sticky Net!" cried Wormmon, not knowing exactly who he was shooting at.

"You do amuse me" spoke a the laughing female voice of Arukenimon.

Yolei looked up from the floor to see Arukenimon standing above her, her hands crossed across her chest with a smug look on her face. She was looking at Ken was crouched into a tight ball on the bed, fighting a mental battle.

Yolei growled. Arukenimon laughed. "Well! If we haven't gotten ourselves another little beast! If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were the monster" Arukenimon snickered.

Yolei continued to growl, but Ken's voice made the growls get caught in her throat.

"Y-Yolei...F-forget about me..." ken struggled to say, the darkness surrounding him. Yolei watched as his skin turned a deeper gray. He fought hard for breath, but he kept on speaking. "I'm not...w-worth it..."

Yolei shook her head, not wanting to believe what she was hearing. "No! No Ken!" cried Yolei in protest as she scrambled to her feet and onto the bed next to him.

"You are worth it. You are a great and loving person!" Ken snorted. "You are! I won't leave you Ken! I don't care what happens to me, I'll stay with you!"

"You children are so foolish saying things like that" criticized Arukenimon. Yolei and Ken looked at her. "Remember, that's how Ken got into this whole mess to begin with."

Yolei sighed, what was she going to do? She looked at ken. She couldn't just leave him to the darkness...Not alone.

Alone. No. He won't be alone.

Yolei looked up at Arukenimon defiantly. "Fine. If you want Ken. You're going to have to take me too!"

"Yolei!" cried Hawkmon in complete shock.

Arukenimon smiled. "So that's what you want? You want to be with ken, however Ken will never be free of the darkness. So, what is a girl in love with him to do?"

Yolei answered her question for her. "Become part of the darkness as well."

"Please Yolei! You're not thinking straight! Think of what you are doing before you do anything rash!" begged Hawkmon at her heels, his wings clamped to her pant leg. He had tears in his eyes. He didn't want Yolei to become part of the darkness.

" It's a little late for that Hawkmon!" snapped Yolei.

Arukenimon laughed. "You are just getting to be more and more like a little monster, snapping at your own digimon."

"So, what will it be?" yelled Yolei, ignoring Arukenimon's comment. "Will you make me a part of the darkness?"

"As you wish girlie!" yelled Arukenimon. The darkness around ken left and went for Yolei, who began to scream.

"Yolei!" cried Ken when he saw what was happening.

"V-Laser!" cried a voice at the doorway.

"Queen's Paw!"

"Star Shower!"

"Rock Crackin'!

Arukenimon was caught off guard by these sudden attacks and was hit directly in the back by them.

"Ahhhh!" she cried in pain. She turned around after the blast was over and scowled. The darkness that had been surrounding Yolei backed off, making Yolei fall to the floor, where Hawkmon went to her side.

The darkness vanished as Arukenimon became cornered. All the other digidestined and their digimon had burst through the door.

"Yolei!" cried Kari in worry in panic as she ran over to her friend. Cody and TK in hot pursuit.

"Ken!" cried Davis, running over to the bed. He then turned to glare at Arukenimon. "Change him back!" Arukenimon ignored him. Ex-V-mon then grabbed her by the throat and choked her, and Davis repeated his order.

"F-Fine!" choked Arukenimon. ken's slumped over and exhausted form slowly shrunk back to its original size as his hair shortened again and turned blue indigo. His black robes disappeared and his Tamachi uniform replaced it.

Ken slowly raised from the bed, picking up Wormmon in the process.

He smiled at everyone. "Thank you" He then looked down at Yolei and knelt down beside her as the others backed off a bit. "You...You really was going to risk your life for me...You were willing to be trapped by the darkness for eternity just for me..."

Yolei smiled up at him and nodded. "Of course I did Ken! I love you!"

Ken smiled back. "I love you to."


End file.
